It would seem that the raffish gentleman around town now rides an urban track bike whilst the gentleman of the country rides either a touring bicycle or a cyclo-cross machine. Does the panel agree with me that the mountain bicycle has become as plebian now as an older model four wheel drive motor in a social housing estate?
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Are mountain bicycles plebian?
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Posted 4 months ago #
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Mountain bike - the clue's in the name. Riding a mtb around town/on roads/light offroad has always been for the plebs, no?
Posted 4 months ago # -
Context.
A lapierre ridden round town in trackies looks a bit daft and dare I say it 'chav'.
A lapierre on the roof rack of an A6 in the fast lane of the M4 looks very middle class.
Posted 4 months ago # -
As above, like Burberry it's all about context.
Posted 4 months ago # -
I know there are some poor misguided souls on here that will say that MTB has always been the preserve of the well heeled.. and if you can afford to buy into the marketing hype then yes.. this is undoubtedly true..
but for many years now cycling on-road, off-road, track or wherever has been the hobby of the people.. a hobby that occasionally still attracts a few fashion conscious Mr Toads..
Posted 4 months ago # -
Mr Toads - an excellent demographic label, well done that man.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Garish full sus is plebian. A classic steel rigid is the eptitomy of inverse snobbery and we all know that is cool.
Posted 4 months ago # -
I have both ivantate, what does that make me? God help me, I don't need an identity crisis to go with my mid-life one.
Posted 4 months ago # -
A classic steel rigid 29er SS is the epitome of uber cool’ist’ness and I claim my prize.
What do you call an Orange 5 owner then, and where in the “class” war stakes does he reside??
Posted 4 months ago # -
I have an orange 5 in fashion victim white, what do I know.
Its only because I have just picked up a roadrat that I can feel slightly less plebyier. (On account no-one (normal) knows who makes it)
Posted 4 months ago # -
Come on, rigid SS 29ers are the new main stream around here. To dare to be uncool and ride a full sus, that's what real cool is.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Having just bought a CX bike I can report feeling 72% less plebian on my commute.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Oh I do hope so.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Thangyew don simon.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Then I'll claim a prize for being "just one of the crowd" Maybe I ought to buy an Trek Ex9..
Posted 4 months ago # -
Surely the only social phenomenon riding an MTB is indicative of is not having grown up.
And long may that last.
slainte
rob
Posted 4 months ago # -
What does going down the corner shop on a full susser to buy a pack of fags make you?
Posted 4 months ago # -
Pikey?
Posted 4 months ago # -
Pikey?
Ha ha they were rollups as well. Of course I actually went on a singlespeed with newly fitted full mudguards to protect my rather dashing new trousers.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Only red corduroy can be described as 'dashing'....were they?
Posted 4 months ago # -
No sorry just a regular pair of combats. Thats pretty dashing though as 95% on the locals are in black tracksuits.
Posted 4 months ago # -
We used to call each other plebs at school in the early eighties, without knowing what it meant.
Posted 4 months ago # -
my stepdad used to call my mum a pleb in the early 80's.. he knew exactly what it meant and he was right too...
Posted 4 months ago # -
We used to call each other mong & spakka at school in the early eighties, without knowing what it meant.
Posted 4 months ago # -
*plebeian*
Posted 4 months ago # -
There are a few guys wearing full face helmets and full downhill body armour around erm.. Thetford! Its no place for that!! Very Plebeian
Also im not saying its the full 100% Plebeian but.....could somebody explain to me what the appeal is of a fully rigid singlespeed please? I dont get why you would purposely spend money to downgrade your bikes peformance on anything but the smoothest fireroad....explain?
Posted 4 months ago # -
When I first rode mtbs, fully rigid was all there was. It was that or nowt.
Yeah, I can ride things faster and harder now, but I jolly well have not noticed any increase in my actual 'enjoyment'.
Maybe people what ride fully rigid bikes do so cos they enjoy biking?
Just a thought. I could be wrong.
Well, I coodunt actually; cos that's not possible.
So I'm actually right. Ah, there we go then.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Elfinsafety - Member
Oh I do hope so.Indeed you are Cockney trash
Posted 4 months ago # -
Also im not saying its the full 100% Plebeian but.....could somebody explain to me what the appeal is of a fully rigid singlespeed please? I dont get why you would purposely spend money to downgrade your bikes peformance on anything but the smoothest fireroad....explain?
I don't ride my SS as hard as I used to, a knee injury at 3mph in town has caused me to lose some confidence on a bike, but I have ridden it over fairly challenging tracks (for me), and I have stayed upright and ridden almost as fast as I can on my hooligan hardtail.
The bike was built specifically as a light, fully rigid bike using a specific SS steel frame, and it rides beautifully.
Asking why anyone would deliberately 'downgrade' their bike's performance, though, shows your woefull ignorance of the history of mountain biking. All mountain bikes were rigid, when they first came out, it was some years before suspension forks worth a damn became available.
I'm astonished that you even ask the question. A 19lb bike is easier to ride than a 30lb one with gears and suspension forks. I have two hard tails based on pretty much identical frames to prove it.Posted 4 months ago # -
countzero- it was a simple question..i dont think its right or wrong, just different. why react like that?
Posted 4 months ago # -
I thought we were all supposed to be "middle-class cockbags"?
Posted 4 months ago # -
Posted 4 months ago #
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Sorry, wasn't intended to come across like that, but 'tis true that rigid trumps everything in a historical sense, my first [mountain]bikes were all rigid, so, I guess that early experience of getting hammered on rigid bikes just means its just a return to my origins; albeit much lighter with the SS, my first Stumpjumper ('88), was no lightweight.
I ride the SS far more than any of my geared bikes, it's lovely to ride, and the lightness means I don't feel quite so tired after a ride, and the lack of things to wear means it's cheaper and simpler to maintain; all together I just don't see it as compromising performance, as the bike was built using a specific SS frame, rather than modifying a geared bike.
Also, I do use carbon forks, which do make a huge difference; rigid steel ones are very harsh, so you're perfectly correct there.
That said, I must admit I'm not an aggressive rider, and I don't ride long distances over really challenging terrain, so under those circumstances a set of light sus forks would make a big difference for many riders who would find their performance compromised.
A hooligan hardtail, fully equipped...
...and her mincing lightweight sister. Posted 4 months ago # -
Silly thread maybe, but there's a lot you could say about how this sport has been gentrified beyond all recognition in the past 20 years.
Posted 4 months ago #
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